Butcher takes delight in once-again denying lacklustre Celtic

Sunday 1 February 2009 19.05 EST
First published on Sunday 1 February 2009 19.05 EST

As a player, Terry Butcher took great pleasure in battening down the hatches against Celtic and the former Rangers captain's new charges did likewise in the Highlands yesterday to set up a tantalising Old Firm encounter on Sunday week.

There are Scottish cup ties before then but Celtic's mere two-point advantage over their city rivals – the gap stood at seven after the pair met at Ibrox on 27 December – accentuates the theory that there's plenty of life in this title race yet. Butcher, in his first match in charge of Inverness, halted an eight-game ­losing league run with the hosts displaying the defensive bravery which made their manager such a formidable character as an England international two decades ago.

Gordon Strachan, understandably, chose to focus on his own team's deficiencies. "No disrespect to Inverness but we have better players than them," said the Celtic manager. "Those players were not good enough to beat Inverness' enthusiasm and determination. There were five or six of our guys who were nowhere near the standard required."

Strachan's point was illustrated by the fact that the Inverness goalkeeper, Ryan Esson, did not have a meaningful save to make. Celtic's best chance fell to their captain, Stephen McManus, who blasted over from close range in the dying seconds.

Given Wednesday's epic Co-operative Cup semi-final with Dundee United, Celtic have now failed to score in 210 minutes of football. That dour run will almost certainly be ended on Saturday, when Queens Park of the Third Division visit Parkhead on cup business, but a lack of spark is ­costing the defending Premier League champions. "If we win the Old Firm game, we have a five-point cushion and the pressure is back on Rangers," insisted Celtic's Gary Caldwell. "So there is no panic."

lked at being quoted in excess of £4m for the 21-year-old.After a low-key transfer window, perhaps those in control of the purse-strings owe Strachan some financial leeway in order to properly dismiss the challenge from Ibrox.

Optimism, meanwhile, is now the order of the day in Inverness. Having kept a clean sheet for the first time since the opening day of the season, Butcher's side have aspirations of rising from the foot of the table. Fittingly it was a central defender, Pavels Mihadjuks, who was the outstanding man on show here.

"I am thrilled," said Butcher, who is seeking to restore his reputation in ­management after troubled spells at Sydney FC and Brentford. "I was looking for a start, something to give me hope; I got that and more today. They came off the pitch as heroes and our boys can be heroes this season."